Tension-gate.



P. E. MARTIN.

TENSION GATE.

APPLICATION FILED 11m23.191s.

1,298,241. Patented Mar. 25,1919.

'sa sfrfras PATENT Emea PAUL E. MARTIN, OF TOWNSHIP 6 SOUTH, RANGE 6EAST, CUSTER'COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA.

TENSION-GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

Application fried January 23, 1919. serial No. 272,700.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL E. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, re siding at Twp. 6 South, Range 6 East (postotlice HotSprings), in the county of Custer and State of North Dakota, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Tension-Grates, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to gates and more particularly to tension gatesand it has for its object the provision of very simple and inexpensivemeans whereby the strand wires of the gate may be easily and quicklydrawn to the desired degree of tightness, while at the same time thegate may be just as easily released when desired.

In the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of atension gate having the invention applied thereto and Fig. 2 is a detailview illustrating the tightener in released position in full lines andin operative position in dotted lines. Like characters designatecorresponding parts.

Referring to the drawing 5 `and 6 designate the spaced posts betweenwhich the gate is located and 7 designates the strand wires of thefence. The gate comprises wires 8 and a bar 9, the latter projectingdownwardly below the wires 8 for engagement with a wire loop 10 whichembraces the bar 9 and the post 5. Gates of this character are wellknown and it is common practice to provide such gates with barscorresponding to bar 9 and to engage the lower portions of such barswith a loop embracing post 5 and to engage the top of such bars with alike loop which embraces both the post and the bar. However, if thisupper. loop is of such length that when engaged with the bar it drawsthe wires of the fence reasonably tight it is very diflicult to releaseit and in fact it is almost impossible for a child to release it. Thepresent invention contemplates the provision of a simple attachmentadapted to be fixed, by nailing for example, upon the top of the bar 9and comprising a fixed annular plate l1 conforming to the shape of thetop of the post after the latter has been squared oil", and a hingeplate 12, the latter being hinged to the fixed plate 11 by a pintle 13.The plate 12 is bent upon itself at 14 to provide a portion 15 having ahooked terminal end 16 and the bight portion of the plate is preferablyshaped to form a handle 17. The hooked terminal end 16 is designed toengage a wire loop 18 that embraces the upper portion of the post 5. Inclosing the gate the lower portion of the .-bar 9 is engaged in loop 10and the upper portion of the bar is moved toward the post 5 until thehooked terminal end 16 can be engaged with the loop 18. The handle 17 isthen grasped and swung over to the dotted line position illustrated inFig. 2. Since the end 16 swings upon an arc of much smaller radius thanthe arc described by handle 17 it follows that such leverage is providedas will enable the operator to exert a very powerful drawing action uponbar 9 while, at the same time, this device may be easily and quicklyreleased with very little effort.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that simple and eifcientmeans are herein provided for accomplishing the results sought but it isto be understood that the invention is not limited to the preciseconstruction shown but that it includes within its purview whateverchanges come within either the terms or the spirit of the appendedclaims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described the combination with a gatecomprising a plurality of wires and a bar of a loop adapted to embrace apost, a tensioning device comprising a fixed part secured to said barand a part `hinged thereto, the pintle of the hinge lying horizontallyupon and transversely of the top of said bar, said second partcomprising a handle extension and a loop engaging hook, the latter lyingmuch closer to the hinge pintle than the handle extension.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a gatecomprising a plurality of wires and a bar, of a loop adapt-v ed toembrace a post and a tensioning device comprising a fixed pla-te mountedupon the top of said bar and a movable member hinged t0 said plate andcomprising a right, Y In testimony whereof I alix my signaangularportion one end of Which is bent ture in the presence of two Witnesses.-

Y upon itself and said bent portion shaped to PAU-L ,E M ARTIN form ahandle and then extended to form a v portion lying in substantialparallelism with Witnesses: i

the part upon which it is bent and termi- E. B. ADAMS,

nating in -a loop engaging hooked end. MARION H. GooDYKooNTz.

'Jopies of this patent may 'be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Gommissoner of Eatents,

Y Washington, ID. A13. Y

